Hi, I’m Bodhipaksa, and I set up Wildmind in 2001 with the help of several friends who offered me their time and technical support when I was a grad student with no financial resources at all. I’m a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order, I’ve been a practicing Buddhist since 1982, and I’ve been teaching meditation since the late 1980’s.
I’m the author of Wildmind: A Step-by-Step Guide to Meditation, a book called Living as a River, which explores the Buddhist teaching of not-self though a traditional reflection on interconnectedness called the Six Element Practice, and Vegetarianism: A Buddhist View, which is a book on Buddhism and the practice of vegetarianism. Additionally, I’ve written I Can’t Believe It’s Not Buddha! (a book on fake Buddha quotes), This Difficult Thing of Being Human (on self compassion), and A Year of Buddha’s Wisdom (which is a collection of daily readings, reflections, and meditation suggestions). I’m also the author of ten audiobooks of guided meditations.
In Oct 2012 gave a TEDx talk on compassion.
I was given the name Bodhipakṣa when I joined the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1993 (although at that time it was called the “Western Buddhist Order”). “Bodhi” means enlightenment and “paksha” (there’s a dot under the “s” which gives it a “sh” sound) means “wings.” So my name means “Wings of Enlightenment.”
I was born and brought up in Scotland, although I now live in the US. For three years, I was the director of Dhanakosa retreat center, in the Highlands of Scotland, and after that I ran the Edinburgh Buddhist center. For three years, I taught Buddhist meditation in the Religious Studies department at the University of Montana, before moving to New Hampshire.
I love teaching meditation. It’s had a tremendously positive effect on my own life, and I’ve seen it have an equally large effect on the lives of my students. Over and over again, students have told me how learning to meditate has changed their lives.
For many years I’ve been excited by the potential for bringing the benefits of meditation to millions of people over the Internet. That enthusiasm is what led to me setting up Wildmind.
Wildmind started as a project while I was completing a Masters degree in Montana. Supported by a grant from the American Council of Learned Societies, I worked with Dr. Alan Sponberg to develop an innovative Internet based meditation course for the University of Montana, and that experiment formed the basis of Wildmind.
I hope you find these materials useful, and I’d love to hear from you. Please feel free to drop me a line using the comment form below. If you want to write more privately use the “contact” link above — the message will get to me.
I also have a personal website where you’ll find links to all my publications, YouTube videos, etc., as well as information about the meditation coaching that I do. It’s at Bodhipaksa.com.
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Hi again, Bodhipaksa
How kind of you! Yep, Brisbane is just 'up the road' (by Oz standards, anyway) .
Thanks again for your kindness and support
Dee
Hi Bodhi,
This is quite unrelated to this particular site, but is an attempt at personal contact with regards to my discovery of your ancestor Thomas Waddel Tragheim. There was no email contact on that site so am hoping to reach you this way - my apologies if it is inappropriate. I am researching Edward Tragheim, who is my mother's father, a Royal Scots. I strongly suspect your great grandfather on your mothers side (Edward) is also mine along a different branch. Please contact me if you have any more information on Edward, particularly anything regarding his time in the Royal Scots. He also served in the Boer War, and won a medal of distinction in WW2. My mother's name is Lilian so I wonder if Tom is (was) her brother "Tam". It would be great to hear from you.
Regards,
Steve Jaunay
Hi Bodhipaksa.
I have been studying Buddhism, particularly Mindfulness, and meditation for a few weeks now. I have found this site, and your guided meditations to be an invaluable tool in my journey of discovery.
I have a question, that I'm hoping that you can shed some light on. How is autism viewed by Buddhists? When I tried to look up the info myself, I came across so much conflicting information that I'm thinking there may not be one clear cut answer. Many places spoke of bad karma, and such, but to me that would imply that any autism spectrum disorder would be a negative state, and I don't view it that way. I view it as a difference. Not good, or bad, just different. I have two children that are autistic, as well as I've been diagnosed as being mildly autistic (Asperger Syndrome) myself. Neurodiversity is important to me, and I try to spend my time only on things that supports it.
Thanks for any info that you can share in regards to this matter.
Hi Serenity,
Buddhists, unfortunately, can be prone to the same kind of blind belief and dogmatism that you find in other religions. Saying that autism is due to "bad karma" is a statement of blind faith in the notion that anything "bad" (taking autism, for now, to be seen as "bad") must be due to karma, and therefore is the fault of the person who has the problem. This "blame the victim" mentality is usually done in a very friendly spirit, although true believers can get very hot under the collar and resort to name-calling when you critique their understanding of Buddhist teachings. In fact, the Buddha taught that not everything that happens to us is the result of karma. The Buddhist tradition recognized several different kinds of conditionality (basically, natural laws), or which karma is just one. And the Buddha also said that you could never tell when something is caused by karma or not. So much for the true believers. (Tibetan Buddhism, by the way, ended up with a distorted view of Karma, so take what they say with a pinch of salt).
But there isn't really "a" Buddhist view on autism since it's a newly recognized syndrome and it's not something the Buddhist tradition had to come to terms with. I can give you my view, for what it's worth. I think the condition is biological in cause, rather than spiritual, for one thing. When talking about any kind of "condition" that exists in a spectrum, you always get into problems of definition, since definitions demand clarity, and spectrums don't provide clarity. I'd say that the average man is further along the spectrum towards autism than the average woman, to take one example. But I don't think it's a disorder for me simply to be male, just because I like collecting things, organizing my collections, and sometimes get unemotional and detached. It's just all part of life's rich variety. I do think there's a point, though, where the emotional unattachment and the obsession with "things" becomes so extreme that it should be considered a disorder, because of the problems it causes for other people, and the pain and fear that the autistic person has. At the same time there can be amazing gifts, and probably a lot of talented scientists and mathematicians have been mildly autistic. I have a friend with a boy who has Asperger's, and he does well and is in fact very talented and creative. I think he's probably going to have an extraordinary life. Beyond that, I've seen kids (I once worked in an adventure playground for disabled kids) who were severely autistic (unable to communicate and locked into repetitive rocking), and I'm sure that if their parents could find a "cure" and been able to experience their child as loving them, they'd jump at the opportunity.
I don't think the word "bad" is very useful to apply even to severe autism. Maybe it's enough to say that it can be a source of pain and sorrow and even heartbreak, but it's also an opportunity to test the power of a parent's unconditional love for a child. "Bad" is often just another way of saying "this is an experience I don't want to have." But when we have more mindfulness and compassion, there are painful experiences that we can deal with that other people would say are "bad" but to us they're just challenges.
Anyway, this is just my view, and it's probably not even very coherent since it's late. And I have to get up early tomorrow to teach, so I'd better stop here.
I'd love to hear any thoughts you have...
Thank you for answering so quickly. I think you have done a very good job in replying to my question.
People being treated fairly, and equally with kindness, and compassion has always held a place of high value in my life. Where male autistics may obsess over trains, engines, and such, females tend to lean more to the side of psychology, philosophy, and anthropology. It's important to me that I spend my time, and energy on things that support what I've mentioned above. I will continue on with my research, and learning of Buddhism now that I know there is a positive place in it for me, and my sons.
And, yes, I am anti-cure (but not necessarily anti-therapy). I have one son who is considered mildly autistic (I don't like using terms of functioning, because I feel they're misleading, and harmful to people) and one that is considered severely autistic. It never occurred to me to become upset when I learned of their autism (and subsequently mine) because it is something that just 'is'. Not good, or bad. It just is. Sometimes, I feel sad when I know that society won't/can't see them for the wonderful individuals that they are. I think that says more about others than it does of them.
Anyway, thanks again for your response. I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this subject.
Was reading something you wrote, the recent bit about bridling at 99 cents for an iphone app and then happily plunking down $1.50 for a coffee. I recently added up my pizza, fish and chips and coffee bills and realized I was thowing something like six thousand bucks a year at them. No wonder I have trouble finding ten bucks to put in the pot at meditation night.
So you are not alone.
I asked myself what would Bodhipaksa do? And at a guess, came up with: Bodhipaksa would not go to war with a bad habit. He would not regard it as "bad" at all. He would spend time contemplating all the good that could come from a change in spending habits.
Is this guess accurate?
Hi Glenn,
That's pretty much it, although this is the first time I'm aware of asking "WWBD?". Maybe I should ask myself that question more often? Or be asked it by others.
Anyway, I think you've hit the nail (mettafuly) on the head. I'd think about how I would feel if I had developed an app and had someone validate my creativity and risk-taking (it is a risk to put your creative effort out there to be judged) by ponying up the 99¢. When you do that, you feel some of the glow of pleasure yourself. I think of the app developer saying "cool, someone else bought my app" and I feel happy!
i want to thank you for the great website u have created, i started meditating last year and i noticed significant improvements in my life since. but it was hard to follow and i didnt know much about what i was doing. your site is very well constructed and has helped me better my life. i am currently in high school at the age of 18 and i work 20 hours a week, all my friends think im crazy when i try to turn them on to meditatin but i am most grateful that i started at a young age. once again thank you very much for the positive effects you have put on my life
Amazing how i never found this site until today - looking for information on Buddha & Tara relating to prosperity of the monetary kind. Its on many people's minds these days so many are struggling due to loss of jobs.
At any rate - Thank you for being here in this way. I am working on a new site called dharmaReview which will premier soon and would like to feature your site as one of my first examples of people making a difference and also in the Resources section. May i have your permission to provide links to you?
The concept of the site is how to find really helpful guidance in this new age of information overload - who can you trust? Featured will be all paths. As soon as i launch i will let you know.
Thank you for your kind words. Do feel free to link to us.
Good day Bodhipaksa, I stumble over your site in search of "Meditative Running" and found such a great and detailed information on various other subjects. For years I am reading in various Buddhist eZine. How come I missed this site? ;) You have done a great work to all wishing to practice and seek guidance.
For now I have started going through your "Walking Meditation" place and will proceed into other themes afterward.
I am from Europe but now live and work in the Middle East Region.
BTW: the "Contact" button, as mentioned in your "About Bodhipaksa", I could not find. Maybe I only missed it or didn't look properly. Could you please guide me to it?
For now, many thanks for all and keep up the good work and hope to be in touch with this site for a long time.
Eddie
Thanks for the kind comments, Eddie. Also, thanks for mentioning the missing "contact us" link. It turns out there was a bug on the page causing the entire footer to go AWOL. You should now find the link at the foot of every page.